Timothy Moore is one of the 18 international delegates joining us in London this week for this year's Design Connections programme. Find out more about him and his thoughts on design in Australia.

Please tell us about yourself, your work or organisation.
I am the director of Sibling Architecture, and co-curator of Melbourne Design Week led by the National Gallery of Victoria. NGV (with Creative Victoria) steers design week - it provides space, money and expertise - while the design community of Melbourne step up to host their own exhibitions, talks, tours, workshops and launches.

What are you working on at the moment?
Melbourne Design Week 2018 is at its planning stage, so I’m uncovering spaces, seeking talent and making connections across Australia and abroad to amplify the conversation of how design can improve our lives. Only about 60 percent of businesses use design in my state of Victoria so there’s some work to be done on demonstrating the value of design; this is where Design Week can play its part.

At Sibling, we are working on cultural and commercial projects in Melbourne, Sydney and Kuala Lumpur, along with several design research projects, including looking at how to design an age-friendly city.

What are the hot topics in design in your country at the moment? What are the challenges that design or designers are facing in your country at the moment?
There a lot of big-picture issues that Australian society is facing: climate change, housing unaffordability, an ageing population and socio-economic inequality. Design has a large role to play in thinking these topics anew. Architects have made great inroads from design guidelines for urban infill to redesigning the business model for property development.

Tell us about a designer to watch from your country at the moment and why we should know about their work?
One of the most underrated design offices in Australia is Officer Woods from Perth. There’s an austerity with materials - try building in the most isolated city in the world - but there’s a lightness that reflects its climate and context. They just completed the East Pilbara Arts Centre in an even more isolated region about 1200 kilometres north of Perth, which has been embraced by its artists that come from country nearby deserts to paint.

What excites you about UK design? What are you looking forward to seeing at the London Design Festival?
The British are mercantiles so they have the chutzpah to perpetually generate new ideas and concepts, and sell it to the world. British design is very fresh. I’m looking forward to doing the rounds of all of the stalwart institutions - such as the Design Museum - and design districts.

Each year during London Design Festival (LDF) we invite key design industry figures from around the world to join us for our Design Connections programme. The delegation will take a unique curated tour of the festival, meeting leading UK designers, curators, design organisations as well as discovering new work and gaining new relationships. Find out more about Design Connections here.